Lake Huron Coastal Tour

From The Author

Scenery You'll See

This road trip is a wonderful journey along Lake Huron Shoreline and up the coast towards Upper Peninsula Michigan. Situated in one of the most scenery-blessed states in the Midwest, this route features a wide variety of scenic views along with the sights and sounds of clean and clear waters of Michigan. This route also travels through pretty resort towns and impressive old and new beachfront homes.

Towns/Cities You'll Pass By/Through

Overall the roads are relatively flat and there aren't too many fun turns ... it's more of an open road drive so I gave it a fairly low rating.

Attractions & Points-of-Interests Along the Way

This route offers plenty of attractions and outdoor activities. Here are some of the highlights you'll find along the route's south to north path.

Starting off in Bay City, a city with a rich timber industry history, you'll be able to see many impressive Victorian style buildings as well as former timber barons' mansions. You'll find some beaches at Bay City State Park and will also have a chance to enjoy a spectacular panoramic view from the city hall stone bell tower that was built back in 1895.

From Tawas you can cross the boardwalk into East Tawas where you'll find many nice craft and gift shops. Further up the route is Tawas Point State Park with its great hiking trails, picnic areas and a lighthouse. In the coastal town of Alpena, notorious for its hazardous waters that have wrecked many ships, you can see the Shamrock ship that went down in 1905 and stays in 12 feet of water ever since. The waters around Alpena are now one of the few underwater preserves in America and are a great region for scuba diving. There is also the Jesse Besser Museum where you can learn about local history and then drive over to see his magnificent collection of homes along the coast. You can take a short trail in the Besser Natural Area located one mile north of town. The trail will lead you by an abandoned village, a lagoon, and a thick pine forest. The second weekend in October is the Great Lakes Lighthouse festival hosted in Alpena.

In Presque Isle you can visit a museum built into the Old Presque Lighthouse.
If you take a side road west onto Rte. 68 from Rogers City, you will see the Ocqueoc Falls, which are listed as the largest falls in Lower Michigan. There's a pool at the base of the falls where hikers are allowed to take a dip.

Huron Beach has a mile long beach that offers some spectacular views of the beautiful Lake Huron.

You'll find dockside restaurants in the town of Cheboygan and here you can visit the old Oprah house built in 1888. Later on you'll pass Mackinaw City, which is the farthest point on Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

Due to Mackinaw City's position you can see a sunrise over lake Huron in the east and a sunset over Lake Michigan in the west. Make sure you check out a replica of a fur-trading post and fort in the town. There are also eight championship golf courses in this town. The trip's must-do attraction is traveling over the 5-mile long Mighty Mac - one of the world's largest suspension bridges that links Michigan's Lower and Upper peninsulas.

The trip's highlight is Mackinac Island . You could spend your entire vacation here! The island bans motorized vehicles so you'll have to choose alternative means of travel such as horse drawn carriages, bikes, roller-blades or simply walking. Here you'll find Victorian Inns as well as craft and art shops. You may also want to visit the reconstructed Fort Mackinac, a 19th century British fort.

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Ratings & Reviews

Reviewed by BRTP Partners on April 16, 2010(4 out of 4 members found this review useful.)

Comments: This is simply a great road trip because it offers not only great scenery but great places to stop & visit along the way. And the ride's end point it - Mackinac Island - is a vacation of its own! Highly recommend taking this road trip.

Recommended Attractions / Points of Interest

Reviewed by BRTP Partners on April 16, 2010(4 out of 4 members found this review useful.)

Attraction or Point-of-Interest recommendation: Near Tawas, Old Orchard Park is a nice city owned campground. It is VERY affordable right on the river ! You should continue a little way past Desi's to check out the River Road National Scenic Byway. Nice views, sweeping curves with places to get off the bike for a bit. There are some nice hills north of Harrisville. This is a nice comfortable ride with great views and quaint small towns.

Reviewed by BRTP Partners on April 16, 2010(2 out of 2 members found this review useful.)

Attraction or Point-of-Interest recommendation: Just about 15-20 miles north of East Tawas there is a little fishing town named Oscoda, if you have a mind ask a local how to get to "Desi's Restaurant" and you will find some surprisingly good Spanish/Mexican food.